Tamers: What you do to protect the ones you love
by RyukiRocks
Summary: Rika has a virus inside of her. The digital world is in troble and gets help from the tamers once again. pairings KazuOC, kKentaOC, HenryAlice, TakatoJeri, Ryuki and many more!Yah, i know my summary sucks. R&R! Flames allowed! I hope you all like it! :
1. It Begins

**Disclaimer: i do not own digimon.**

**a.n.: i will be borrowing characters/digimon from other seasons.**

**Chapter 1: It Begins Rika's P.O.V.**

It all started when I was walking home from the first day of public school. I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings, more like I was thinking about what Kazu had said earlier.

_-FLASHBACK-_

"_What do you think Rika?" Jeri, one of my closest friends other than Henry, Alice, Takato, and Renamon._

"_Hmmm…Sorry Jeri, I guess I just sort of zoned outthinking about something. What were you saying?" I responded._

"_Don't bother Jeri. The girl is as cold as the north pole itself. Trying to get some feeling or something nice out of her is like saying me and Kenta aren't the class clowns and that we don't hold the school record for getting the first detention of the new school year on the first day of school every year." Kazu said._

"_Yah." Kenta piped up._

"_Well at least I'm decent enough to come to these stupid meetings anymore, unlike some people, I still come and do my neighborhood night shifts." I retorted._

"_See what I mean, the girl has no heart. She doesn't care about anyone but herself. Takato and Henry should have let Icedevimon take her away from us, that way we wouldn't have to deal with her ice cold heart and selfish attitude anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if Icedevimon came back looking for her one of these days. I mean, he'd be doing us all a favor. It's not like any of us want her around anymore." Kazu said._

_I didn't wait around for anything else to be said. I wanted to get out of there before I could break down in front of everyone. As I was leaving, I heard Alice say something._

"_Kazu, that was low. Even for you." Alice spoke up._

_-END FLASHBACK-_

'_She doesn't care about anyone but herself'_

'_Takato and Henry should have let Icedevimon take her away from us'_

'_It's not like any of us want her around anymore'_

All I could think about was what Kazu had said, and how much it really affected me. I guess what really shook me up, was I left so suddenly, no one noticed. Not even Jeri. Or Ryo for that matter. I was so lost. I didn't know what to think. On one hand, part of me was saying, '_Kazu was right, maybe I should just leave. No one would care. Anyway, I would have Renamon there for me.' _But on the other hand, a part of me was saying, '_They don't know what I'm going through for them. The sacrifices I've made to protect them. I want to tell them, but what would happen then if I did tell them?' _I was so wrapped up in my inner battle, that I was surprised when I heard footsteps. 'step, step, step' When I stopped I heard a '_whosh'_ sound behind me. .._sigh.._ It could only be one person. "hmm…?" Then I sighed, "3...2..1." "Hey Wildcat!" He exclaimed happily. "Ryo, why am I not surprised?" I responded sarcastically. _'Honestly, sometimes that spikey-haired boy is too predictable. Why is he always following me around anyway?'_ Out of nowhere, a row of sweat formed on my brow, and then… "UGH!" I moaned

_-FLASHBACK-_

"_Rika, it won't be easy to hold this inside of you." Renamon said with a questionable look and a matching questionable face to go with it._

"_I know, but someone has to do it, besides, those dimwitted boys would break down too easily, and no way am I giving the choice to Alice or Jeri, Henry and Takato would kill me." I replied back. "What about Ryo?" She asked me. "He'll survive." "Rika? Rika?!…RIKA!" She yelled. "I'm sorry Renamon. I have to go back to Earth." Truth is I did have to, but not without one last thing. "Goodbye Renamon….Renamon?" "Yes Rika?" "I love you Renamon."_

_-END FLASHBACK-_

"Ugh, why now?" I groaned and then all went blank. I do remember gradually becoming weak… and then slowly falling down, but not with out being caught by a pair of cool hands.

"Rika?…Rika?!" A voice said. Somewhere deep inside of me I knew that voice, but who? Who did that deep, hero-like, caring, worried voice belong to? Each word that came from that voice sounded like a song…

"Ugh.."

"You guys, I think she's waking up!" That voice, again, only this time with relief and enthusiasm.

"Hey Wildcat! How are you?"…Ryo.

"Wh-what happened?" As I opened my eyes I found 19 pairs of eyes peering down on me while I, Rika the Digimon Queen was cradled, no, hugged tightly to the chest of the one and only Ryo, the Digimon King. His eyes were red and he looked as if he had been crying. Hadhe been crying over ne?! Typical Ryo. But all the others look as if they had been crying as well. I expected this from Jeri and Suzie, maybe Alice, but the guys? Specifically Kazu who could careless if I was alive or not.

"What are you guys crying about?" I asked them warily, not fully recovered. As soon as I said that I knew that I shouldn't have opened my mouth.

"Rika!" The pretty-boy happily exclaimed. Before I could even blink, Ryo had happily embraced me, put his head on my shoulder, and started crying. Crying! Can you believe it? But being as I was the only one there without a tearstained face, I let him go unharmed. I shot a nervous look at Renamon when I realized I was at home. She must have been reading my thoughts because she telepathically said to me, -_your mom and grandma are visiting your sister Kari in China-_ I understood what she meant, but I still didn't know what happened.

"Renamon, wh-?" I asked, but couldn't finish for _it_ happened again. This time everyone saw what happened and panicked. Out of everyone, Ryo had the weirdest reaction, he felt my pain!

"Ugghh!"

"Rika!-Ugh- What's happening?" He yelled, but I didn't hear him. A little while later, I woke up and was startled to find myself cradled in Ryo's arms, he looked like he was in pain. Everyone was gone except for Ryo, Henry, Alice, and our partners._ 'Hmph, if only it could stay like this forever, me and him. Together me in his arms without a care in the world…Rika, get a hold of yourself. You are not falling for Ryo, but maybe…'_ I mentally slapped myself to regain my composure.

"Rika?" Came that sweet melodic handsome voice.

"Ryo?" I cried, and if they knew what my dream was about, they would know why I flung my arms around his neck and started crying like a baby. Though surprised, he got the gesture and wrapped his arms around me, patting my back trying to comfort me.

"It's okay Rika, I'm right here. And I promise not to leave you." He spoke very calmly. -_rika, would you like me to transfer your dream to them?- 'yes'. _And with that, they all knew. Knew my dream, everything, especially what happened that last day in the digital world.


	2. Henry

**Chapter 2: Back to Reality?**

**Henry's POV.**

"Ugh!" I groaned. _"What a weird dream." _I thought, _"But, somehow, it feels like it's almost real."_ I opened my eyes to look around and take in my surroundings. We were still at Rika's house. I felt like I just ran into a brick wall, when I remembered why I was here.

_-FLASHBACK-_

_I was walking down one of the many hallways of Hypnos, looking for Alice. My cell phone started ringing. I checked caller id to see Ryo's number. Just as I answered I saw Alice walking towards me, along with Kazu, Kenta, Jeri, and Takato (All the tamers work at Hypnos as an after school job.). I motioned for them to come over to me._

"_Hello?" I answered._

"_Henry?! Oh thank God someone has Finally answered their damn, fucking, God-Forsaken Phone!" he shouted. By then I had it on speaker phone so everyone could hear. 'uh-oh' I thought. 'Ryo never cusses, unless he's pissed, worried, or near Rika. I wonder which one it was..'_

"_Ryo, calm down. I have you on speaker phone, and I have Alice, Kazu, Kenta, Jeri, and Takato here with me."_

"_Well it's about time! Sorry for yelling and cussing earlier, I hope Suzie and the kids weren't around. I-it's j-just.. I have been trying to get a hold of you guys for the past half-hour almost an hour!"_

_There was a collection of apologies from our group of tamers._

"_Well, now that we are all here, with the exception of Rika, Jodie, Kat, Suzie, and the twins, what did you need?" Takato asked taking charge._

"_Well, I was on my way home from the school that Rika, Henry, Alice, and I go to. I noticed Rika didn't look like she was feeling well during last period, so I followed her home to make sure she was okay, a-."_

"_Let me guess, Rika found out you were following her, so she beat you to a pulp, and left you to die in a dark alley somewhere." Alice questioned. Everyone was laughing at how possible that statement was, except for Ryo._

"_No. Now as I was saying before I got interrupted, I was following her to make sure she was okay, and when she did find out I was following her she turned around. She made a sarcastic comment about me, a-and then s-she, she just fainted! I caught her, and took her to her house, luckily Renamon told me Seiko, and Rumiko are away in China right now, but you guys really have to hurry up and get over here. I have to warn you Kazu and Kenta, Rika may be out of it right now, but she is still saying she's gonna beat the living hell out of you two. Please guys, bring the others and your digimon and get over here as soon as possible!" After that the line died signaling that Ryo had hung up. It was silent for a little bit, and then we all ran to get our partners and the rest of the tamers so we could get to Rika's as soon as possible._

_-half an hour later-_

_We were all in Rika's living room, surrounding Ryo who had Rika's head in her lap._

"_Will she be alright?" Jeri asked. I felt her pulse and breathing patterns (it's a good thing I took medical care classes sophmore year.)_

"_Her pulse and is steady and seems to be normal. Her breathing tends to become irregular every now and then, somewhere between 135 and 160." I answered. Everyone looked at me with blank faces._

"_She's having a nightmare." I stated plainly._

"_Will she be alright?" Jodie asked, looking from Rika, to me, to Kazu, back to Rika, and back to me._

"_She more than likely fainted from the amount of stress on her. Balancing 3 jobs, homework, school, keeping Renamon in perfect shape, as well as taking care of the house while her family is away is a lot of work, even for her." Ryo said. I met his gaze and nodded._

"_Ugh.."_

"_You guys, I think she's waking up!" _

"_Hey Wildcat! How are you?" Ryo said._

"_Wh-what happened?" She asked. We all looked at her with teary eyes._

"_What are you guys crying about?" She asked, almost irritated._

"_Rika!" Ryo exclaimed as she cringed in pain._

"_Renamon, wh-?" Rika was cringing in pain, but not just her, Ryo was too!_

"_Ugghh!"_

"_Rika!-Ugh- What's happening?" He yelled._

_After Rika and Ryo passed out, I told everyone to leave. Alice and our partners stayed to keep an eye on things. Awhile later, Rika woke up. Not 2 minutes later, we were all suffering in pain. Since Alice was standing, I caught here before she fell. And then I too blacked out._

_-END FLASHBACK-_

After I remembered why I was still here, I looked around the room. My eyes traveled amongst who was left; Rika had collapsed earlier and was now laying on top of Ryo(I smirked when I saw this). Renamon and Cyberdramon were watching their tamers sleep peacefully together. Terriormon and Labramon( about a year ago, we went back to the digital world to find our partners, we found both Alice's and Jeri's partners) were playing together outside in the back yard ("Hey, Puppymon? Do you have a leash?" Terriormon asked. _..Man, I need to teach him tact.._ "No Rabbitmon, I don't,but look who's talking miss pwetty pwants!"_ …Oh no, here they go again…_) Then my eye caught a glimpse of blonde hair. Curled up in my arms was the sleeping form of Alice. Alice and I have been dating since about a year after the d-reaper incident. I felt Alice start to stir in my arms, and looked down only to be greated by her beautiful eyes.

"H-henry?" She asked while yawning.

"Yes Alice?"

"What happened?"

"I-I don't know."

"Where are Terriormon and Labramon?"

"Outside playing together." We walked to the door to listen to them.

Terriormon: Hey! The name's Terriormon! So I'm a dog not a rabbit! Even Kazu and Kenta know that and they're dumber than door knobs, which makes you dumber than them!

"I really need to teach him the meaning of the word tact." I mumbled. Alice chuckled.

"Yah?! Well at least I know my gender, miss pwetty pwants!" Labramon shot back.

"Good one Labramon!" I said.

"Henry! You aren't suppost to side with the enemy!" Terriormon yelled.

"Quiet! Or else you'll wake the two love birds!" Alice quipped.

We heard movement coming from inside.

"too late for that." Terriormon said.


	3. Back to Reality?

**Chapter 3: Back to Reality? Ryo's POV**

'_What's that noise? And what's that on my face?' _Without thinking, I threw my hands in the air and grabbed… something, or someone? Unable to open my eyes, I pulled my arms in closer. I automatically knew it was a someone, then, for _it_ had a sweet scent and was breathing lightly on me. I pulled my arms even closer and could finally hear what _it _was saying.

"Ryo? Ryo, are you okay?" I knew that voice, so being the person I was, I pulled _her_ in closer to where our lips almost touched. I could felt _her_ tense up and could practically feel _her_ blush.

"R-rika?" I said weakly, as I slowly opened my eyes. I hated showing weakness, especially in front of her.

As if sensing my thoughts she said, " You know Ryo, I used to think that showing pain and caring about other people would make me look weak or was a weakness, but after I met goggle-head, the other's, and especially you, I've thought otherwise. It's okay to show others your in pain every now and then" She said this calmly and soothingly, a side of Rika I've never seen before. As if sensing my thoughts again, she punched me lightly on the shoulder.

"If I hear you've told _anyone_ what I just told you, consider yourself dead to the world." She said threateningly. _'Ahhh, same old Rika. Some things about her just never change. If they did, she just woudn't be the same Rika I know and l…' _I stopped my train of thought before I said _it_. _'Me, love Rika? I know we do playfull flirting all the time, but I never thought it would turn out serious… would it? Do I want it to be serious? Or do I want it to stay the way it's always been? Do I want to go on in life without her knowing how I feel about her? Do I really, 'gulp' love her?' _I pondered this thought for a while. _'Do I really love Rika?… Yes,… yes, I think I really do.' _This new revelation was actually easy to get used to. Before I could draw her in to kiss her and show her how I truly feel about her, I felt an unbearable pain rip through my insides. "Ugh!" I groaned. Before I slipped into unconciousness, I heard Rika say something else.

"Ryo! Oh my god Ryo! Wake up! Oh god, please let him be okay!" She yanked her rists out of my hands, and before I knew it, I was tightly wrapped in her shaking arms. I could hear commotion coming from outside, bt the most unbearable thing I heard was her crying, and I couldn't do a thing to calm her or make her feel better.

**END POV: Rika's POV**

I could hear commotion coming from the back yard. The next thing I knew, Alice, Henry, Terriormon, Labramon, Renamon, and Monodramon were standing around me and Ryo.

"I told you guys to be quiet!" Alice hissed. I smiled at the look she was giving Labramon and Terriormon. It was the look a mother would give her children when they did something bad, or got in trouble.

"So-rry! How was I suppost to know I would wake up her royal highness? Besides, his majesty is sleeping in her royal buttwooping's arms." Terriormon said. I scowled at him.

"Terriormon…" Henry said.

"Momentai Henry! I was just having fun! Besides, you know I'm right!" He said in his normal happy-go-lucky voice. I sighed. Monodramon turned to me.

"Rika? What happened to maser Ryo?" He asked. I looked around at the faces of my friends. Worry mixed with a look of confusion was evident on all of their faces.

" I don't know. I woke up to see him in a lot of pain. He was twisting and turning in his sleep. I finally got him to wake up a little bit ago, but then he kind of, passed out again." I answered with a shaky voice.

"Rika, he will be fine,in fact, he should be waking up soon." Renamon said. _'Good' _I thought. _'Then I won't have to worry about him so much.'_ A small grunt, followed by a groan escaped the red, smooth lips of the boy in my arms.

"Ryo? Are you okay?" I surprisingly sweetly asked with concern. He poened I eyes slowly and looked up at my face.

"H-hey Pumpkin. What did I miss?" he asked in his sweet melodic voice.

"Not much." I replied ignoring his nickname for me, just glad that he was okay, but not after giving him a concerned and curios look. By then, the others had left to go outside, after seeing that Ryo was alright. We sat there in silence for a while, me on his lap. I could hear a tag team match going on between the four digimon. From what we could hear, it was Renamon and Labramon verses Terriormon and Cyberdramon.

"Well if you look at that! Looks like it's team puppy verses team rabbit. Last I heard, rabbits were good luck. Also, don't the Japanese eat puppys?" Terriormon said.

"That may be true Terriormon, but wolves, dogs, and foxes consider rabbits as a fine delicacy, and as one of their favorite victory treats." Renamon quipped back. I heard Terriormon gulp, and could practically feel Renamon, Labramon, and Cyberdramon smirk. Alice and Henry were laughing from the sideline, and I could feel Ryo chuckle from underneath me.

"Hey Rika. I had the strangest dream. You and the others were there. We were in the digital world, and you and Renamon were tal-… Rika?"

"Ryo, that wasn't a dream, that was a memory I asked Renamon to transfer to you, Alice, Henry, and the digimon. It really did happen. I-I'm… I'm sorry you had to see that." I responded. He looked up at me with a shocked expression, then he brushed one of his hands over my cheek, his other hand immediately slid up my back, and then my neck until it found it's place, tangled up in my hair. He comforted me by tracing circles all over my face.

"Oh Rika. I don't care, I'm just glad you're okay. You really scared me when you passed out in the middle of the street." He said and gave me his cocky grin- my one weakness.

"Buzzzz! Buzzzz!" Still sitting on Ryo's lap in his arms, I pulled my phone out to answer it.

"Hello?"

"_Rika, this is Yamacki. Are Henry, Alice, and Ryo there?"_

"Yes, why?"

"_The Digital world is in trouble and needs your help again. Get the others and meet me at the portal near Guilmon's hide-out."_ The line went dead. Renamon appeared by my side in 5 seconds. Everyone else rushed back in as well.

"Renamon, why did you leave?" Labramon asked sweetly.

"Ryo, I hope your feeling better. Yamacki just called, the digital world needs us again." Everyone grabbed their stuff.

"Hey, Ryo? Could you, by any chance help me stand up, and possibly walk?" I asked after trying several times to stand up, only to fall back down.

" For you Wildcat, anything." I gave him a grateful smile and quickly turned my head before he could see me blush. Over the years, Ryo has really grown on me. Fro the most part, everyone is used to it by now, except Beevis and Butthead, and Terriormon. And that's how our third trip to the digital world began. And with that, all of us headed for the old hangout and, more importantly, for another adventure!


	4. The Adventure Begins

**A.N. **First of all, i would like to appologize for not updating this story in a long time. i've been really busy and havent had a chance to upoload the 4th chapter until now. i would like to thank everyone for reading my story, and for reviewing my story. your comments really do help my writing process. Because i havent updated in forever, i decided to give you guys a really long chapter to make up for it.

a lot of peoploe have commented that they were confused about something or another, hopefully this chapter will clear up all of the confusion, if not, i may make a seperate story to clear up the confusion.

again i would like to thank everyone for reading **Tamers: What You do to Protect the Ones You Love**! i hope you enjoy chapter 4! :D

disclaimer: i do not own anything except for Centurimon, the Morphemon,

**Chapter 4: The Adventure Begins. Rika's P.O.V.**

"So is that all he said?" Henry asked. _'always the practical one, Henry…'_ I sighed mentally, preparing myself for the barrage of questions that would await me.

"Yes. He said he would explain everything when we got to the portal." I replied, then looked away. _'How could I do this to them? I'm horrible…traitorous…dishonorable…I'm…I'm- _

"Rika?" Henry asked me. I sighed and prepared to tell them _everything_.

"I guess you guys want an explanation, huh?"

"…yeah, that would be nice" Alice said. _'Sarcastic as always Alice. That's what I like about you Alice, you're never afraid to speak your mind or use sarcasm, even in the most dire situations…I can relate with you in that way'_

"Well…it all started during the mission to the Digital World last year…"

_Renamon and I had the late night shift to watch the camp and surrounding area for any evil and/or corrupted digimon, attacks, or just injured and/or wandering digimon that might need help. It was right after the big battle against centurimon and we were currently guarding centurimon's digi-egg…_

_-FLASHBACK-_

"_Renamon…"_

"_yes Rika?"_

"_Do you think Centurimon is gone for good? The evil Centurimon that is…"_

"_I don't know Rika, I wish I could say that we have defeated the evil Centurimon for good, but his digi-egg came back, so I really can't say if this is the last we've seen of him or not." she explained._

"_I understand. What do you think made him turn evil?" I asked her._

"_It's possible, that it's something very similar to what turned Zhuqiaomon and the Devas evil, or even what turned Cherubimon evil."_

_Renamon, who is Cherubimon?"_

"_Cherubimon is a celestial being from another Digital World."_

"_another Digital World? But how? I thought the monster makers only made one Digital World."_

"_they did. But, from this Digital World, two more Digital Worlds had evolved. All three worlds have similarities and differences, they also have protectors. Just as this world has the Sovereign digimon, Azulongmon, Zhuqiaomon, Ebonwumon, and Baihumon, and the Guardian Digimon, Fanglongmon as well as the Devas. Cherubimon's world has the three Celestial Digimon, Ophanimon, Seraphimon, and Cherubimon and the 10 Legendary Warriors, Agunimon, Lobomon, Kazemon, Kumamon, Beetlemon, Lowemon, Mermaimon, Mercurymon, Grumbemon, and Arbormon, and the 2 Legendary Guardians, Lunamon, and Solamon. Lastly, the other world has digital humans, which are half human and half digital being, as well as the ancient Crests of Courage, Friendship, Love, Sincerity, Knowledge, Reliability, Hope, Light, Kindness, and Destiny. The three worlds are divided by a barrier, known as a digital rift. If it's broken, all three worlds could collide together with Earth, and everything and everyone would be destroyed, never to exist again."_

"_Renamon, how do you know all of this?"_

"_It's part of my digital make-up. Any digimon could access this knowledge, it's just a matter of if they want the burden that this infinite amount of knowledge brings."_

"_Why are you telling me this? I only asked what you thought made Centurimon turn evil."_

"…_think about it Rika. I would not waste my breath telling you something if it wasn't important, would I?"_

"_no, I guess you wouldn't…wait…your not saying, what I think your saying…"_

"_and what would that be Rika?"_

"_is it possible that Cherbuimon, Zhuqiaomon, and Centurimon all had access to the Knowledge, and then used the knowledge to learn things that made them evil? Centurimon and Zhuqiamon both wanted to destroy the human world. What did Cherubimon want?"_

"_to destroy human influence and the human-type digimon. In his world, humans use to live there in peace and harmony with the digimon a long time ago, but then a great evil was unleashed so the humans fled back to their world. There are 2 types of digimon in Cherubimon's world because of the humans that use to live there. There are the beast-type digimon, which is what Cherubimon is, and there's the human-type digimon, which is what Ophanimon and Seraphimon are."_

"_so all three turned evil because of human influence? Is it possible that they learned they exist purely through some sort of experiment done by a group of the worlds biggest computer-geeks?"_

"_it is quite possible Rika, but there are many other things that could be at fault. Think of what happened when Zhuqiamon and Centurimon were evil. With Zhuqiamon, the Devas turned evil as well, and over half of them escaped to Earth to wreck havoc, fear, and destruction. With Centurimon, he merely sent armies of lower level digimon to Earth to seek out and destroy the heroes who defeated the D-Reaper, after all, we were a threat to his plans of order and chaos. When Cherubimon was evil, he sent his corrupted warriors out to the Digital World to destroy cities, villages, towns, forests, deserts, mountains, oceans, lakes, everything! They would suck up all of the data of what they destroyed and send it to Cherubimon, who wanted to use it to make a bridge to Earth. He was defeated by the heroes of that world, but a fallen angel type digimon known as Lucemon continued what he started, and used the Digital Worlds data to form a gateway connecting that world to Earth, in hopes of controlling and destroying Earth as well."_

"_Renamon that's it!"_

"_what's it?"_

"_at first I thought it was just human influence on the creation of the Digital Worlds that led the 3 three digimon to become evil…"_

"_yes, you've said that already"_

"_but then you mentioned the D-reaper…"_

"…_yes I did…?"_

"_well, didn't Zhuqiamon become evil because he was sick of the 'great enemy' that was plaguing his world with destruction and chaos? And wasn't the 'great enemy' jus one among many names for the D-reaper? Another name being 'chaos'?"_

"_Yes…"_

"_and the D-reaper's goal was to bring order back to a world filled with chaos? But really all it did was delete everything, which infuriated Zhuqiamon into sending the Devas to Earth, which is where they thought they could find the one who could stop it, aka Calumon. And they wanted Calumon because Calumon could control the digivolution process."_

"_Rika where are you going with this?"_

"_hold on I'm getting to it…well when the D-reaper made it to Earth through Jeri, it evolved rapidly, right? Well that was because it broke through Digital Barrier, so there weren't anymore restrictions on it, it could delete all it wanted to, because it was finally back to it's place of origin…Earth"_

"_Rika…digivolution…D-Reaper…Zhuqiamon…Calumon…Centurimon…Cherubimon…Corrupted Warriors…Gateway to Earth…human influence…Earth…Digital Barrier…Rika! That's it! You're a genius! I can't believe I didn't see it before! Al this time! And it was right in front of me! Rika, it wasn't the human influence that made them evil! It was the influence of something much greater and far more dangerous! It was the influence of a virus! And all three times, the corrupted ones wanted to go to Earth, because that is where the creators and the heroes of legend are, Earth is where the cure for the virus is at! So they wanted to break through the Digital Barrier so they could travel to Earth, but the virus would influence them to completely destroy the Barrier instead so that all four worlds would collide and no longer exist. So the only way to stop this cycle from continuing, we have to take the virus to Earth…but how?"_

"_Renamon…is it possible for one of us, one of the tamers, to maybe consume the virus, kind of like how you consume data, and then go back to Earth?"_

"_that might work…if one of the digimon consumed it, then the virus would still be alive and it would force us to attack when we get back to Earth…this way if one of the tamers consumed it, the virus would be in suspended animation, it would be like the virus is sleeping for a long time. And the virus wouldn't be able to control a human or force the human to attack…that has to work Rika…you're a genius."_

"_now the only question, is who will consume the virus?"_

"_Takato?"_

"_no, he's a wuss…plus, I could never forgive myself if our theory is wrong and the virus hurts him, or makes him hurt other people, specifically Jeri."_

"_Henry?"_

"_no, he speculates things too much…we would be here for another year, while he tests theories and performs experiments before he would actually consume the virus."_

"_Ryo?"_

"_and give Pretty Boy another reason to make his ego any bigger than it already is? I think not…Renamon…I have to do it…I have to consume the virus…"_

"_what? No Rika, your mom-"_

"_My mom doesn't have to know, Renamon, only you. Only you have to know. Besides, who else is better for the job? I don't recall you telling anyone else the story you just told me, and we're the only ones who know the virus theories…it would take too long to explain everything to the others…no, it has to be me…only me…"_

"_are you sure Rika?"_

"_as sure as I ever can and will be"_

"_Rika, it won't be easy to hold this inside of you." Renamon said with a questionable look and a matching questionable face to go with it._

"_I know, but someone has to do it. Besides, those dimwitted boys would break down too easily, and no way am I giving the choice to Alice or Jeri, Henry and Takato would kill me." I replied back. _

"_What about Ryo?" She asked me. _

"_He'll survive." _

"_Rika? Rika?…RIKA!" She yelled. _

"_I'm sorry Renamon. I have to go back to Earth." Truth is I did have to, but not without one last thing. _

"_Goodbye Renamon….Renamon?" _

"_Yes Rika?" She asked. _

"_I love you Renamon."_

_-END FLASHBACK-_

I explained the dream and everything else to them. I told them how it was Yamacki who sent us there on a suicide mission, and how Renamon and I had our suspicion that Yamacki knew what the outcome would be even before we left Earth. Since I was still weak, Ryo had his arm wrapped around me holding me up as we walked to the old hang out.

"Rika!" exclaimed a very bright and happy brunette-haired girl as we arrived at Guilmon's old Hide-Out. Before Jeri could throw herself at me, Renamon disappeared from my side and reappeared in front of Ryo and me almost instantly, then she proceeded to create a path for us, me and Ryo, through the tamers all the way up the stairs to the top where Takato was standing with Yamacki and Janyu Wong at the entrance to the Hide Out. Henry was quick to follow Ryo and me, and joined Takato, Yamacki, Janyu, Ryo and I near the entrance of Guilmon's old hide out.

"I hope your happy," Renamon hissed at Yamacki. "Anyone she touches, feels her pain. They see her memories, both good and bad. They can see right through her walls, the very walls she so carefully put up to protect everyone from the very thing that is allowing them to see through said walls."

"Renamon…" I was in so much pain, I could barely hear myself whisper her name. Surprisingly, or no surprise at all, Renamon heard me, and she disappeared from in front of Yamacki, to return to my side again instantly.

"yes well, that's the least of our concerns at the moment. There is a new threat plaguing the Digital World. It's very possible that this new threat is more dangerous than all of the Devas, Zhuqiamon, everything you ever fought both in and out of the D-Reaper, Centurimon, all of Centurimon's armies and all of his subordinates, as well as every other digimon you have fought on Earth and on the Digital World. If that doesn't put this new threat into perspective, then I don't know what will. While you're in the Digital World, you will have; laptops, batteries, preserved food, lighters/matches, a device that has a bult in map of the Digital World as well as a built in compass and navigating system, a device that holds your own sleeping bag and tent that fit 4 people, a device that can digitally change your clothes and it includes clothes for all types of weather including your Hypnos uniforms which is what you will be wearing while you're there, all of your regular Hypnos gadgets, such as grappling hooks, different types of guns and data-guns, your individual weapons, a blue-tooth ear piece, sunglasses that have different functions, your gloves that also have specific functions, boots with certain functions, the list goes on and on. One last thing, each of you will get a small portable screen that you can use to communicate with anyone on Earth. Your families will each receive one, and the number that you will use to contact each of your families screen will be saved on all of your screens. In other words, Takato could contact Rika' family, and Rika could contact Kazu's family."

"Heeeellllll no." "Why in the Hell would I want to do that?" Kazu and I said at the same time. I felt someone jab me in the side, and heard Kazu mutter "ow", and looked up to see Ryo giving me a stern face. I rolled my eyes but kept silent, which Ryo gave me a smile for. I looked over to see Alice standing next to Kazu and glaring at him as he rubbed the back of his head.

We turned back to Yamacki, Kazu muttered a "sorry" and I raised my eyebrows, showing him that he once again had my full attention.

"as I was saying, all of the Monster Makers, Riley, Tally, and myself will each carry a screen with us at all times in case any of you need our assistance in anyway. Even though Henry's family will get one, Janyu will still carry a separate one with him at all times. All of the devices and things you are given will be water-proof. Do not forget that certain things will only affect you if you think they should. The reason why all the electronics are water-proof, is because they cant think. If you touch water on the Digital World, you will only get wet because that's what your body's initial thought is. If you think that the water won't get you wet, then you will stay dry. If you think that you can breathe under water than you will be able to. Now that I have explained everything to you, as soon as you get a bag from Janyu or myself, and you have put your sunglasses on, you are free to enter the portal. Wait until everyone is accounted for before you choose which direction is up and which is down. Good luck."

Once Yamacki finished, Renamon guided Ryo and me to the entrance, where she took two bags from Janyu, one for Ryo and one for myself, and then led us into the portal's entrance. The others followed our example almost immediately. After about five minutes, we were all floating aimlessly in the portal. Cyberdramon went to Ryo's other side to help Renamon keep us safe. Takato and Jeri were flying one way, Henry Alice and Suzie were flying another. Terriermon, from his perch on Henry's head, would poke someone whenever they would fly past him. Lopmon had her arms crossed and rolled her eyes at Terriermon's antics from her perch on Suzie's head. Guilmon carried Labramon and Calumon, while the twins, Ami and Marc, carried Impmon. Lastly, Kazu, Kenta, Katie and Jen clung to each other, while their digimon, Guardramon, MarineAngemon, Biyomon, and Palmon were grouped together near their tamers.

"so…who would like to do the honors?" Takato asked a little unsure of the situation.

"well, last time, Suzie said that way was down…" Jeri said pointing below her feet, which, unfortunately for the rest of us, was above our heads.

"not again…" Henry and Ryo said at the same time.

"Jeri!" Alice and Suzie yelled at her, just a tad bit upset with her.

"we're going to die!" Kazu and Kenta yelled, holding onto Katie and Jen for dear life.

"if you two idiots don't shut up right now, I'm going to personally come over there and make you shut up" I threatened the yelling buffoons, who magically shut up instantly.

"thank you Rika" Jen, Katie, and the twins all thanked me.

"no need to thank me, I mostly did it for myself. I would like to go into this mess with a clear head and decent hearing, and I cant do that with those two idiots screaming their heads off and annoying the heck out of me." I said nonchalantly.

"same old Rika" Takato stated.

"duh. Who'd you think I was? The Easter bunny?" I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"no, I'm just saying, that its been 5 years since all of us went on that first mission to the Digital World, and even though we've all changed a lot since we first became tamers, there are still some things about us that's still the same. Think about it, back in the D-Reaper, you and Ryo were constantly bickering and arguing. At that time, you were sick of fighting but you still liked to argue. Now look at you, 5 years ago you couldn't stand to be in the same room as Ryo, now, you two are so close your practically inseparable, almost like you've known each other your whole lives." Takato explained.

"I guess you're right. I'm still sick of fighting, but I still love to argue." I said.

"don't we know" Ryo mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.

"hey!" I said jokingly offended, as I smacked the back of his head, while everyone else laughed at our antics.

"if you think about it, we've all changed in some ways, but in other ways, we're still the same group of kids that came to this world 5 years ago looking for Calumon. We may not be so reckless anymore, but we still aren't going completely prepared for whatever lies ahead." Henry said.

"that's right, and we've even added to our little group of misfits." Jeri said from her spot at Takato's side.

"who are you calling a misfit?" Kazu exclaimed.

"yeah!" Kenta said.

"well, all of us. I mean think about it. None of us can say we have a normal life. Take Rika for instance, her mom's a supermodel, she hates dresses and the color pink, yet she'd rather hang out with any of us for a day, than go to a photo-shoot. And Ryo, he lived in the Digital World for two months, he has the paparazzi and the media trailing him everywhere, and he hates every minute of it, even though he has a huge ego. Takato is an only child, his parents own a bakery, and one day one of his drawings actually comes to life, how is that normal? Then there's Henry, his dad was one of the monster makers, he takes martial arts classes, yet he's a pacifist. None of us, can say we are normal. We are a group of misfits, stop denying it." Jeri explained as we neared the Digital World's surface.

"everyone hold on tightly to each other! It's about to get slightly rough!" Renamon shouted at all of us. I could feel Ryo's grip on me tighten, but I couldn't feel Renamon anymore.

"Renamon!" I yelled frantically.

"it's ok Rika, I'm right here," she said to me, then turned to the others and shouted, "everyone break off into pairs! Terriermon and Lopmon stay with Suzie, the rest of you, break into pairs, now!"

"Ryo..?" I asked tentatively. I felt the arms wrapped around me tighten their hold.

"it's ok Rika, I'm right here. Remember Rika? I'm not leaving you, I'll never leave you." he said reassuringly to me.

When we finally crash landed in a desert area that was near a forest area, we all gradually stood up with help from our partners and each other. Henry, Takato, Ryo and I all met together, about a mile away from the others, to decide where to go from there.

"we should probably set up camp. If I remember correctly, night and day are like a light switch, there isn't a sunrise or sunset, it just gets dark or bright all at once." Henry suggested.

"I agree with Henry, besides, it's probably safer for us to just set up camp than to wander aimlessly around the Digital World." I said. Ryo nodded his head in agreement with Henry and I.

"alright, if that's what you think is best, then we will go with that. Everyone already has groups. The pairs that we were in when we landed on the Digital World can be the groups we share tents with. The guys can all get wood and the girls can make the food since we would probably just burn it." Takato said, taking on his role as leader. Henry, Ryo and I nodded our agreement to his plan. Takato then got this look on his face, and held up his D-arc.

"For old time sake?" he said with a smile. He stood up and held his D-arc out in front of him just like he did right before the four of us entered the D-Reaper. I turned to look at Henry, then at Ryo, they both shrugged and smiled. I rolled my eyes but smiled none the less. The three of us stood up, and held or D-arcs out in front of us just like we did on that historical day 5 years ago. I had never noticed the height difference between me and the three boys I had spent a good 5 almost 6 years of my life with. The same boys that, about 5 years ago, I saw eye-to-eye with and could easily scare or threaten, now stood about 8-10 inches taller than me. They knew it too, you could tell, because they had to look down at me, and when I looked up to meet their eyes, being the twerps that they were, they smirked at me. And it didn't stop there, oh it did not stop there, cause when my eyes met their eyes…even their eyes were smirking! They really know how to ruin a touchy feel good moment, that's for sure.

"ok boys, I think we all get it that you are giants and I am not. Why don't we all stop smirking before I'm forced to hurt you. Remember, just because you're all the way up there, that does not mean that I can't still hurt you. Since you're tall, my hand is now closer to the spot where the sun does not shine." as soon as I said those words, their smirks instantly turned to frowns. I smirked victoriously, until I saw their frowns change into a new set of smirks, which made my smirk turn into a cautious frown. I slowly looked up at them and slowly backed up when they started inching towards me.

"oh Rika…" Ryo said in a sing-song way as he led Henry and Takato slowly towards me.

"Ryo, Henry, Takato…whatever it is you have planned…I'm pretty sure my fist will hurt you very badly for it…" I said threateningly as I inched backwards, not looking where I was going. Because I wasn't watching, I didn't see the rock that was right behind me until I tripped over it, landing on my back. I fell to the ground making an 'ooff' sound. I remembered the three boys headed towards me, and turned around and tried to crawl away, but I was a little late. As soon as I turned around and crawled a couple inches away, I felt two big, strong hands, wrap around my waist and lift me up in the air. The next thing I know, I'm slung over Ryo's shoulder and all I can see is Takato and Henry smirking at me, though I can practically feel Ryo's victory smirk radiating off of him. I could feel my face get slightly warmer when I realized it was Ryo who picked me up. Henry and Takato notice my slightly blushing face, and their smirks, if at all possible, got even bigger, I frowned, flipped Henry and Takato off, then turned my body as best as I could, so I could slap the back of Ryo's head. The three of them chuckled at my childish antics.

"just you wait boys, just you wait. One of these days, Karma will decide to visit all of you, and all of the stupid little things that have done to me, and/or have yet to do, they will all come around and bite you in the butt one of these days." I said childishly.

"well, then I guess we'll just have to wait for that day, then won't we?" Ryo replied as I made a 'humph' sound and crossed my arms.

About 10 minutes later, we finally walked into our camp, only to find that all of the tents were set up, a fire was going, and dinner was made. The boys stopped walking and Ryo turned slightly, so everyone could see that, yes, it was me slung over his back.

"comfy Rika?" Alice asked and everyone broke out into giggles or chuckles. I flipped all of them off, then kicked Ryo as best as I could, considering my current position.

"so who told you guys to set up dinner?" Takato asked from his spot at Ryo's right side.

"Renamon did. By the way Rika, Renamon and Cyberdramon set up a tent for you and Ryo, and you guys aren't sharing a tent with anyone else." Jeri said from her spot near the fire.

"oh how thoughtful of them, remind me to send them a gift basket telling them how much I appreciate it…"I grumbled sarcastically, but only loud enough for Ryo, Henry, and Takato to hear, all three of which chuckled at what I said.

"cheer up Rika, it can only get worse from here." Henry said.

"yay…"

Ryo walked by everyone else and stopped in front of Renamon.

"can you get mine and Rika's dinner? We're going into the tent, there's something I need to talk to her about." Ryo said in complete seriousness. I tensed up. Ryo's being serious for once? The only thought that went through my head after that, was _'who died?'_ cause I mean, really. This is Ryo we're talking about. _Ryo._ He's _never_ serious. Ever. When Ryo was standing in front of the tent, he loosened his grip on me and I slowly slid down the front of his body. I lightly landed on my feet, with his hands still on my hips, and my hands lightly spread out on his chest. I could feel my cheeks were slightly warmer then normal. My hair, that had grown longer and now reached about 3-4 inches above my waist and was currently pulled back in a low ponytail, was in front of me hanging over my left shoulder. My bangs that were cut diagonally to the right side of my face, were hanging in my eyes. Ryo took his left hand and brushed my bangs out of my face, which made my face a little warmer than before. I turned my head a little to the left so he couldn't see the blush that adorned my face.

"stop." he said out of no where.

"stop what?" I asked.

"stop hiding your emotions all the time. It's not a bad thing you know." he said reassuringly.

"I know, but I've done it for so long, that it's become a habit. So forgive me if I do it without meaning to." I said. He smiled softly at me. Then he took his left hand and pulled back one of the tent flaps and looked at me.

"ladies first." he said with a sparkle in his eye.

"I see chivalry is not completely dead," I said with a soft smile, "thank you, Ryo"

"for what?" he asked after we were both seated inside the tent.

"for everything." I answered.

"well then, your welcome" he said with a bright smile. I smiled softly in reply. We ate our dinner in silence for a couple minutes before I finally said something.

"Ryo," I began, "I'm worried. The slightest touch could be too painful, for Renamon, for Jeri or Alice or any or the others, or, even for you Ryo. What, what are we going to do?" even I could hear how weak, and helpless I sounded. By the look on Ryo's face, I knew I looked just as weak and helpless as I sounded. His face was soft and tried to cover the emotions he was feeling, for the sake of my own sanity. His eyes gave it all away. They showed worry, adoration, strength, shock, fear, and a hint of something else, something I just couldn't figure out.

He smiled softly and answered me, "I don't know Rika, honestly I don't. Rika…I've been meaning…I've wanted to tell you something for a while now…ever since I met you in the Digital World 5 years ago. Rika…I…" but before he could finish, Renamon and Cyberdramon, who were standing outside the tent guarding it, went rigid. Renamon's fur was standing straight up and her eyes were slanted. Both her and Cyberdramon were in a fighting stance.

"Rika…" Renamon hissed. I looked at Ryo. Determination and strength were written all over his face, and I was pretty sure my face mirrored his own. He nodded and we both stood up taking the device that could change our clothes. I grabbed my belt with my D-Arc on it and my leg holster that held my cards, while Ryo grabbed his D-Arc and cards. All of us were standing outside the tents holding the device that changes our clothes. We all looked to Takato for confirmation. He nodded at us and we each held the device out in front of us. We simultaneously pressed a button and we were each surrounded by the color of the ring on our D-Arcs. When the light cleared, we were dressed in our Hypnos uniforms.

My fiery red her was let down from its ponytail and was slightly wavy. I have on a pair of sky blue leggings, stylish black combat boots that go up to mid-calf, and a black skirt that ends an inch or two before mid-thigh. My hands were adorned with a pair of black gloves that only covered the thumb and pointer finger but didn't cover the other three(meaning the gloves were fingerless for the other three fingers). I wore 2 sky blue belts around my waist, one had a pouch of some sort that hung just below my left hip, the other belt held a card holster that was stationed on my right hip. I have on a sky blue tank top that shows an inch of skin between the tank top and skirt, and on top of the tank top was a black jacket that had sleeves that end at my elbows. I have a sky blue Bluetooth attached to my ear.

Alices blond hair looked exactly like mine. She wore dark violet leggings, stylish black combat boots that go up to mid-calf, and a black skirt that ends an inch or two above mid-thigh. She added a pair of black gloves that only covered the thumb and pointer finger and didn't cover the other three(meaning the gloves were fingerless for the other three fingers). She wore a dark violet belt around her waist. For a shirt, she wore a dark violet tank top that shows an inch of skin between the tank top and skirt. On top of the tank top was a black jacket that had sleeves that ended at her elbows. A necklace with a black Cross hung from her neck. Lastly, a black Bluetooth was attached to her ear.

Ryo's chocolate brown hair was messy and unruly, but in a 'perfect' kind of way. His eyes were a bright sky blue color that stood out against his tanned skin. His navy blue t-shirt hugged his torso perfectly, allowing his rock-hard abs to be seen. On top of the navy blue shirt, he wore a black long sleeved jacket that ended about an inch before his t-shirt ended. He wore low slung dark wash jeans, that had a rip in them here and there, and a pair white puma gym shoes. Around his waist, was a navy blue belt that also held a card holster on his right hip, and on his hands were navy blue fingerless gloves. He too had a Bluetooth attached to his ear, the only difference was that his was navy blue.

Takato wore a crimson red long sleeved shirt that hugged his torso, showing off his abs, that, may not have been as good as Ryo's, is still something to look at. On top of the crimson red shirt, he wore a black long sleeved jacket that ended about an inch before his shirt did. He wore low slung blue jeans, and a pair white puma gym shoes. Around his waist, was a crimson red belt that also held a card holster on his right hip, and on his hands were crimson red fingerless gloves. he too had a Bluetooth attached to his ear, except his was a crimson red color.

Kazu still wore the stupid green visor on his head. He wore a brown t-shirt that hugged his torso, showing off his abs. On top of the brown t-shirt, he wore a black long sleeved jacket that ended about an inch before his shirt did. He wore low slung dark wash blue jeans, and a pair white puma gym shoes. Around his waist, was a brown belt that held a card holster on his right hip, just as the other fours did. On his hands was a pair of brown fingerless gloves. he too had a Bluetooth attached to his ear, with the exception that his was a brown color.

Henry's blue hair was a little more shaggy than usual. He wore a green t-shirt that had an orange strip going down the side. On top of the green shirt, he wore a black long sleeved jacket that ended about an inch before his t-shirt ended. He wore low slung dark wash jeans, that had a rip in them here and there, and a pair white puma gym shoes. Around his waist, was a green belt that also held a card holster on his right hip, and on his hands were green fingerless gloves. He too had a Bluetooth attached to his ear, the only difference was that his was green.

Kenta wore a gray t-shirt. On top of the gray shirt, he wore a black long sleeved jacket that ended about an inch before his t-shirt ended. He wore low slung dark wash jeans, that had a rip in them here and there, and a pair white puma gym shoes. Around his waist, was a gray belt that also held a card holster on his right hip, and on his hands were gray fingerless gloves. He too had a Bluetooth attached to his ear, the only difference was that his was gray.

Suki (partner of Palmon) had her navy blue hair styled in a bob that ended right at her chin, and her bangs ended right above her eyebrows. She had black eyes that contrasted with her hair color and pale skin perfectly. She wore pale green leggings, stylish black combat boots that go up to mid-calf, and a black skirt that ends an inch or two above mid-thigh. She added a pair of black gloves that only covered the thumb and pointer finger and didn't cover the other three(meaning the gloves were fingerless for the other three fingers). She wore a pale green belt around her waist. For a shirt, she wore a pale green tank top that shows an inch of skin between the tank top and skirt. On top of the tank top was a black jacket that had sleeves that ended at her elbows. Lastly, a pale green Bluetooth was attached to her ear.

Mai's (partner of Biyomon) black hair was styled in spiral curls that ended just above her shoulders. Her hazel eyes were bright and full of light. She wore red-orange leggings, stylish black combat boots that go up to mid-calf, and a black skirt that ends an inch or two above mid-thigh. She added a pair of black gloves that only covered the thumb and pointer finger and didn't cover the other three(meaning the gloves were fingerless for the other three fingers). She wore a red-orange belt around her waist. For a shirt, she wore a red-orange tank top that shows an inch of skin between the tank top and skirt. On top of the tank top was a black jacket that had sleeves that ended at her elbows. Lastly, a red-orange Bluetooth was attached to her ear.

Jeri wore a thin black headband in her hair that kept her bangs back, the rest of her light brown hair cascaded down her back in waves. She wore white leggings, stylish black combat boots that go up to mid-calf, and a black skirt that ends an inch or two above mid-thigh. She added a pair of orange gloves that only covered the thumb and pointer finger and didn't cover the other three(meaning the gloves were fingerless for the other three fingers). She wore an orange belt around her waist. For a shirt, she wore an orange tank top that shows an inch of skin between the tank top and skirt. On top of the tank top was a black jacket that had sleeves that ended at her elbows. Lastly, an orange Bluetooth was attached to her ear.

Suzie's reddish-purple hair ended a couple inches below her shoulders. She wore white leggings, stylish black combat boots that go up to mid-calf, and a black skirt that ends an inch or two above mid-thigh. She added a pair of pink gloves that only covered the thumb and pointer finger and didn't cover the other three(meaning the gloves were fingerless for the other three fingers). She wore a pink belt around her waist. For a shirt, she wore a pink tank top that shows an inch of skin between the tank top and skirt. On top of the tank top was a black jacket that had sleeves that ended at her elbows. Lastly, a pink Bluetooth was attached to her ear.

Ami's brown hair cascaded in ringlets down he back a couple inches past her shoulders. She wore white leggings, stylish black combat boots that go up to mid-calf, and a black skirt that ends an inch or two before mid-thigh. She added a pair of purple gloves that only covered the thumb and pointer finger and didn't cover the other three(meaning the gloves were fingerless for the other three fingers). She wore a purple belt around her waist. For a shirt, she wore a purple tank top that shows an inch of skin between the tank top and skirt. On top of the tank top was a black jacket that had sleeves that ended at her elbows. Lastly, a purple Bluetooth was attached to her ear.

Marc wore a dark purple t-shirt. On top of the dark purple shirt, he wore a black long sleeved jacket that ended about an inch before his t-shirt ended. He wore low slung light wash jeans, that had a rip in them here and there, and a pair white puma gym shoes. Around his waist, was a dark purple belt that also held a card holster on his right hip, and on his hands were dark purple fingerless gloves. He too had a Bluetooth attached to his ear, the only difference was that his was dark purple.

After we had all changed into our uniforms, we quickly took out our D-Arcs, in hope of spotting the enemy.

"Renamon" I said, expecting a report about the enemy.

"it's a powerful one…no…there's 14...14 powerful digimon." she sounded worried and unsure, never a good sign with Renamon.

"is everyone ready?" Takato asked, eyeing, each of us. His eyes landed on Ryo, who stood alert at my left side, and myself. I felt Ryo's right hand land on my right shoulder, so that he was partially hugging me to his right side. I looked up at him and he looked down at me. He smiled softly at me and I returned the smile. He bent his head down close to my left ear.

"I told you, I'm not leaving your side. I'm not leaving you Rika, I'll never leave you," he whispered in my ear, "I promise you that." when he finished, he kissed the top of my head. Everyone took out their D-Arcs. The odds weren't the greatest…14 against 10...not the best.

Monodramon

Renamon

Guilmon

Terriermon

Biyomon

Guardramon

Palmon

Impmon

Lopmon

Digivolve to…!

Cyberdramon

Kyubimon

Growlmon

Gargomon

Birdramon

Andromon

Togemon

Beezlemon

Antylamon

"Alright, everyone get ready! Pair up! I don't want any casualties got that?" Takato yelled out commands, taking on the role of our fearless leader once again.

"Takato, I'll be your partner" Jeri said. Takato blushed so hard, he was a darker shade of red than Gallantmon Crimson mode. I had to really try not to laugh. Redirecting my attention to the fight, I found one of the things headed towards Ryo and me. Tensing up, I grabbed his arm and turned pale white. He turned in time to order Cyberdramon and Kyubimon over to the situation. Just in time too

-Desolation Claw-

-Foxtail Inferno-

There wasn't a single scratch on that thing.

"Kyubimon, let's go matrix!" I shouted at her.

Kyubimon Matrix digivolve to…

Taomon!

-Talisman of Light!-

-Desolation Claw!-

"Alright! Another one down! Way to react on a dime, Rika" Ryo praised me.

"thanks" I murmured, turning slightly to hide the blush crawling onto my face.

"what are these things anyway?" I asked a bit annoyed.

"Morphemon, they are everyone's best friend, yet worse enemy. They can take on the form of any digimon, human, or object they have encountered. Their strongest attacks are suffocating ribbons, counter attack, and the attacks of the identities of others they have taken." Taomon replied instantly. Taomon suddenly stopped in midair, as if something had just occurred to her.

"Ryo! Get Rika out of here and somewhere safe! Now!" she yelled.

The next thing I know, Pretty-Boy swoops me up into his arms and is running clear out of the battle field, like his life depends on it.

**A.N.** i hope everyone liked this chapter...i spent a lot of time trying to make it perfect...R & R! Flames accepted...but i hope i dont get any :)

RyukiRocks


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